Search Climate Insights Directory
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Executive Summary
The Canadian Climate Institute warns that without policy changes, Canada could build over 150,000 homes in very high flood hazard areas and 220,000 in high wildfire hazard municipalities by 2030. This could lead to combined annual damages of up to $3 billion. The report argues that redirecting just 3% of planned new homes (approximately 150,000 units) away from high-flood hazard areas could reduce flood risk to new housing by nearly 80%. Key recommendations include strengthening provincial land use policies, reforming disaster assistance to deter risky development, updating hazard maps, and mandating risk disclosure in real estate transactions.
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Document type: Executive summary
Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform BY THE NUMBERS
The document outlines the impact of fossil fuel subsidy reform (FFSR) across 32 countries, projecting a potential reduction of 5.46 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions and government savings of nearly USD 3 trillion by 2030. It highlights that the seven countries with the highest potential for absolute reductions could each cut close to or more than 400 million tonnes of GHG emissions. The analysis suggests that combining FFSR with a 10% fossil energy tax and investing the resulting revenues into energy efficiency and renewable energy could reduce global CO2e emissions by 10.42 billion tonnes by 2030.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Checking Dust to Dust’s Assumptions about the Prius and the Hummer: Fact-checking using the GREET life cycle model underlines the deep divide between the Dust to Dust study and all previous scientific work
The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) conducted a life cycle analysis (LCA) using the Argonne National Laboratories' GREET model to evaluate the environmental impacts of the Toyota Prius and the Hummer H3. RMI tested four scenarios, manipulating vehicle lifespan and assembly energy requirements to see if the conclusions of a CNW Research/Marketing report—which claimed the Prius was more harmful to the environment—could be replicated. RMI found that the Prius consistently has a lower environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, regardless of whether assembly energy for the Prius was tripled or if the Hummer was assigned a longer lifespan (207,000 miles) compared to the Prius (109,000 miles). The report concludes that vehicle operation dominates emissions due to the Hummer's poor fuel economy, and that the CNW findings diverge significantly from scientifically reviewed work.
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Document type: Report
A Call for Leadership
The report argues that the EU's proposed 20% to 30% emissions reductions by 2020 are inadequate to maintain a 2ºC warming limit and fail to address the global inequality of the climate crisis. Using the Greenhouse Development Rights (GDRs) framework—which calculates obligations based on a 'Responsibility and Capacity Index' relative to a development threshold—the authors find that the EU's fair share of the global mitigation requirement is approximately 23%, amounting to roughly 850 MtC by 2020. This obligation is described as a 'two-fold obligation' requiring both deep domestic reductions and significant international investment in the South. The authors contend that the EU must provide courageous leadership by unilaterally committing to its proper share of the global burden to break the North-South negotiating impasse ahead of the Copenhagen summit.
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Document type: Report
A roadmap to combating climate change
The document assesses how constraints on biomass, specific metals, and water resources may impact the transition to a low-carbon economy. It evaluates various scenarios for biomass production, predicts cumulative deficits for metals like indium and tellurium, and examines the water-energy nexus, using a California case study to demonstrate how technology choices can mitigate water stress while reducing emissions.
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Document type: Executive summary
Integrating global carbon concerns into local air pollution management and the in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
The report analyzes the relationship between urban transportation, energy consumption, and emissions in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It finds that while CO2 emissions are relatively low globally, local PM10 levels frequently exceed national standards. The study proposes a 'PACKAGE' scenario—combining travel demand management, modal shifts to high-occupancy public transport, and stricter emission standards—as the most effective way to simultaneously reduce congestion, energy use, and pollutants.
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Document type: Report
A Transformative Climate Action Framework: Putting People at the Center of Our Nation’s Clean Energy Transition
The document details five modeling scenarios for US decarbonization, comparing a business-as-usual reference case against pathways aiming for net zero emissions by 2050. It provides quantitative data on emissions, energy supply, and technology deployment, specifically highlighting the roles of electrification, renewable energy, and carbon capture.
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Document type: Fact sheet